Rhetorical Devices
This device repeats the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses for emphasis.
What is anaphora?
This appeal builds credibility through ethics, character, and shared values.
What is ethos?
A tone that conveys deep affection and appreciation, as in a poem offering love as sustenance.
What is tender or affectionate?
Short, simple sentences typically have this effect on pacing and emphasis.
What is accelerate pacing and sharpen emphasis?
In “I Am Offering This Poem,” the speaker compares love to warmth and shelter—name the device
What is extended metaphor?
A brief, indirect reference to a person, event, or text—often biblical or classical—to enrich meaning
What is allusion?
Evidence drawn from specific, measurable data or well-documented facts.
What is empirical or statistical evidence?
A tone that critiques societal norms while encouraging rethinking—often found in essays about naming or identity.
What is critical or provocative?
Parallelism achieves this effect by aligning grammatical structures.
What is reinforcing relationships and creating balance/rhythm?
In “She Unnames Them,” removing names critiques which assumption about language and power?
That naming confers ownership/control; language shapes power relations.
The deliberate reversal of normal word order for emphasis or meter, common in poetry.
What is inversion (anastrophe)?
A logical fallacy where a speaker misrepresents an opponent’s position to make it easier to attack.
What is a straw man?
Elevated diction and dignified rhythm aiming at moral urgency is often called this style.
What is oratorical or eloquent?
A cumulative sentence places the main clause first and adds modifiers to achieve this goal.
What is layering detail to clarify and elaborate?
“The Second Coming” uses apocalyptic imagery (e.g., “rough beast”) to convey what theme?
Apocalyptic disorder; moral collapse; loss of control.
Placing two ideas side by side to highlight contrast, as in “justice vs. order.”
What is juxtaposition?
The strategic placement of a concession in an argument often serves this function.
What is to build credibility and preempt counterclaims?
A poem with simple syntax and repeated structure to be universally accessible uses this choice.
What is plain style with repetition?
Periodic sentences primarily accomplish this.
What is suspense or heightened emphasis?
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” uses which appeals/devices?
Ethos/pathos; aphorism; parallelism; moral reasoning.
A figure of speech that presents a paradoxical image, like “deafening silence.”
What is an oxymoron?
In a synthesis argument, integrating sources into a unified, original claim is called this.
What is synthesis (integrative argumentation)?
Shifting from measured analysis to apocalyptic imagery produces this tonal effect.
What is foreboding blended with urgent warning?
Purposeful variation in sentence length and structure is called this and serves what function?
What is syntactic variety; it maintains engagement and supports purpose.
Connect Baca, Le Guin, Yeats, King: How do they interrogate authority?
They challenge imposed systems and redefine legitimacy via language, imagery, and ethical argument.